MLB star Tommy Pham claims fan called him a piece of s*** in the deck circle before accusing the man of racism: Diamondbacks slugger responds by homering and tripling in victory over the Padres, his former team
- Pham previously played for the Padres but left as a free agent in 2022
- The fans involved in the exchange were not ejected, according to the Padres
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Tommy Pham homered and tripled in a victory over the Padres on Saturday, but his day will probably be remembered for a profanity talk with some fans in the front row in San Diego.
Pham got into a fight with a few spectators in the first inning at the on-deck circle before his first at bat, though the two sides have different perspectives on exactly what happened.
“She was drunk,” Pham, a former Padres outfielder, told reporters after Saturday’s doubleheader. “For you, Tommy Pham, that’s why we got rid of you.” I’m like, “Lady, I’ve reached free service.” They didn’t get rid of me… In fact, they tried to re-contract me.’
A fan video has since gone viral, showing Pham reacting to the onlookers, claiming that one of them called him a “piece of s***.”
“Don’t insult me like that,” Pham told the fan, who denied the allegation.
Pham got into an altercation with some onlookers near the circle on the deck in the first inning
A fan video has since gone viral, showing Pham reacting to the onlookers
“I don’t,” you hear the man say.
When the fan said “go strike out,” Pham, who is black, accused him of racism.
“It’s always funny when you have a white man — a white man — who feels like they don’t respect me,” Pham said. “A black man or a Latino don’t do that.”
Video of the incident was posted online by Patrick Dailey, a Padres fan whose wife was present and appears to be the person who filmed the exchange.
A Padres spokesman said no fans were turned away as a result of the verbal confrontation.
Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said of the altercation, “These fans are horrible for Tommy. I hear terrible things from the stands… It’s ugly and it made me feel uncomfortable from my vantage point.’
Pham had the last laugh on Saturday, hitting a two-run homer and a triple in a 6-4 victory over his former team.
The former Padres slugger left San Diego for Cincinnati in free agency in 2022. He has since played for the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets before being dealt to Phoenix before this season’s trade deadline.